Europe's Most Awesome Retailer...

Having started with an order of just six pairs of trousers, Jonathan Salters’ proactive approach with Scotland’s brightest clothing brand, Royal & Awesome, enabled him to sell more than £10,000 worth of clothing and clinch the title of Europe’s ‘Most Awesome Retailer’.

PGA professional Salter from Ullesthorpe GC, claimed the coveted honour in a continent-wide competition promoted by Royal & Awesome (R&A) for his success in selling Scotland’s funkiest golf clothing through two local pro shops, supported by online sales.

The prize included £1,000 in cash and five ‘Awesome’ staff uniforms, with the competition – which was open to retailers of all sizes – judged on three criteria: incremental sales, allowing smaller retailers to compete with larger stores; visual merchandising; and ‘Awesome’ initiative.

Smeaton explained: “Jonathan Salter was our clear winner. His approach and consequent impressive incremental retail revenue should prove an incentive to all retailers out there.

“He started with just six pairs of trousers and clearly had fun creating a buzz about the brand through a series of very simple initiatives – and ended up selling more than £10,000-worth of stock. He made the brand the talk of the clubhouses and an integral part of his business moving forward. We were delighted to be able to name him our ‘Most Awesome Retailer’ of 2014.”

The judges were impressed by Salter’s ability to identify early on that the brand could be worn by all golfers at a club – on a particular occasion or event – whether for a charity golf day, a group holiday in the sun or, impressively, to groups of visiting golfers or societies. This insight was capitalised on, through simple displays, emails to societies and the sharing of pictures of groups having fun in their Royal & Awesome outfits.

Revealing the secrets of his success, a delighted Salter explained: “I was immediately enthused by R&A – with a little effort doing the simple things well, the brand soon created a buzz around a club.

“The brand became very familiar to golfers in a very short time. Some members were happy to have pictures of them in R&A gear posted on the clubs’ noticeboards, which created great interest and conversation around the place and I encouraged outfit purchases for members’ ‘away-day’ trips.

“The benefits were immediate and the brand was accepted as ‘refreshing, fun and bright’ and sales were buoyant.

“You get what you put in with Royal & Awesome, and it’s undoubtedly worth putting in the small amount of effort required to achieve impressive incremental sales.

“R&A has become a focal point of my business, both on-line and in-store. Sales continue on an upward curve and I’m delighted to say that R&A has been my most exciting find of 2014. It’s also a very exciting part of my business moving forward.”

“Winning the title is great but the staff uniforms will help to further the success of the brand in our shops and I aim to auction off one outfit for a local charity, Keep the Beat, which is very close to my heart. R&A has brought a ‘dare to be different’ approach to my business and customers, and proved it is just what golf needs.”

Royal & Awesome’s range of eye-catching golf trousers, shorts and hats is ‘perfect for the pars and the bars’. The brand also boasts selection of plus-twos as well as women’s trousers, shorts and skorts in dazzling designs, complemented by a range of men’s and women’s shirts, socks and belts.

The ‘Awesomes’ – the brand’s range of brightly designed golf trousers – build on the wonderful heritage and history of golf in Scotland by adding a whole lot of fun and colour, and are guaranteed to make an impact on the course, the clubhouse or the corporate jolly.

All of its ‘bottoms’ come with a free golf tool/bottle opener, which is a nod to the strap line of ‘for the pars and the bars’.

Royal & Awesome also has a huge following on social media, with more than 150,000 Facebook fans and approaching 2,000 on Twitter, thanks in part to the recent launch of the ‘Tricky Series’ featuring trick-shot specialist Rob Brown, which has been viewed by more 25,000 people.

Royal & Awesome will be repeating its ‘Most Awesome Retailer’ competition in 2015. For more information on how to enter or tips of how to replicate Jonathan Salter’s success, contact Royal & Awesome or distributor JS International through the ‘contact us’ section of their websites.